Crate.



J. F. CARROLL.

CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED Hmm, 1013.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/NVE/VTR F. Carrol l TOHNEYS I w/mfssfs 3. 1,1 18,738. Patented Nov. 24, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

R S ml H NlI m 0 WP n a AH C cl. .n PW e pm las,

after stamping as to form ends 2 and sides 3.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH F. CARROLL, 0F. CONCORD, NEBRASKA.

CRATE.

Speeieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2d, 191e.

application mea February 24, 191s. serial no. 750,221..

To all'fwkom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F. CARROLL, a

` citizen of the United States, and a resident of Concord, in the county of Dixon and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Crate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relatesto an improvement in crates for shipping farm prodnoeand the like; and-the object thereof is to produce a crate `the sides and Aends of which can be made out ofa single blank of metal, such as sheet steel, so stamped as to provide the necessary openings for ventilation, and at the same time having suiicient strength and rigidity to protect the contents.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings :forming a partof this specilication, in which the same characters of reference indicate the same parts in all the views.

Figure 1 .is a perspective view of my crate with the top removed and the bottom 1n place; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the crate; Fig. 3 is a 'view of the blank comprising the sides and ends folded together; Fig. 4is a plan of the top; Fig. 5 is a plan of the bottom; Fig. 6 is a plan ofthe blank comprising the sides and ends; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing Eone corner of the crate, illustrating more fully the construction. thereof, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a' modification.

My crate comprises a single sheet of metal 1, such as sheet steel, so shaped and bent These'sides and ends receive a top 4 and support a bottom .5, as to house the contents ofthe crate completely The blank whichis sha ed to tform the sides and ends 2 is shown in etail in F' 6, and in one lon- -gitudinal e e 6 adjacentlae of :this b ank I- form recesses bottom of end-forming portions 2, and these recesses 6 are connected by edges 7 within the portions 2 and'by edges -8 within the portions 'forming the sides 3.

The sideformin portions 3 are of4 somewhat greater with than the end-forming 4portions-2, so that the edges 7 and 8 are not 1n alinement, and it will beseen that the edges 8 are of the same length as the length of the side-f0tming` portions 3,- while the n- 1:7 are of somewhat less lengtllthfan the i form. lingy ortions2 ow' to t e ormation of the processes 6 alilogive mentioned. the edgeo the plate 1, opposite the edge in which the recesses 6 are formed, I /rnake cuts 9. These cuts will be at the corners of the crate when thesame is set up, and each of these cuts will be inline with an edge of one of the recesses 6. The purpose of the cuts 9 will be set forth later.

At the end of one side-formin portion 3 is a reduced section 10 separated from the body of this portion by means ofshoulders 11, and this portion 10 is bent so as to receive the outer edge of one end-forming portion 2, and be fastened thereto when the crate is made up. This section 10 is bent over at right-angles to the adjacent sideforming portion, and the' edge 12 of the proper end-forming portion 2 may be secured to the section 10 by riveting, soldering, or any other convenient way.

The sheet of metal 1 isprovided with a number'of cuts 13 in the end-formin portions 2, and a number of similar cuts or the side-forming portions 3, and at the ends of each of these cuts 13 are short cross cuts 14. The lines along which the side-forming portions and end-forming portions are bent are indicated at 15, these linesextending bedtween one side of the recesses 6 and the cuts 9 which extend inward from the edge of the plate 1and before the plate 1 is bent so as to bring the side-forming portions and endforming portions into` proper relative posi` tion, the portions of the plate 1 alon the i edges of the cuts'14 Vare rolled over, as s own at 16, leaving open spaces 17 to admit air into thecrate. The portions between the spaces 17 in the ends and sides form slats, and the rolled-over edges of these slats help to strengthen the crate. In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 7, which is the preferred construction the members 16 runfhorizontally. In this form also and arranged along the 'length of the portions forming the slats of- 18 not'only strengthen the construction ofthe box, but prevent the plate 1 from being bent in the wrong place, .and in order toi make sure that the plate 1 will be properly bent when the crate is to be assembled, l may score the'plate 1 along the lines 15, lit desired.

The edges 7' are rolled over between the recesses 6 to form ribs 19 at the bottoms of the ends of the box, and the edges are also rolled over to form ribs 20 at the bottomsoi the sides. j rllhe ribs 19 will be of slightly less length than the length of the ends and will normally be slightly above theribs -20 when the crate is linished, as shown in Fig. 2. 'llhe ribs 19 are given such relative dimensions and positions to avoid having them interfere with the ribs 20. lt will be seen that both the ribs 19 and 20 are inturned and the bottom 5 rests ,upon the end ribs 19. This bottom is provided with longitudinal corrugations shown at 21 to prevent the same Jioin being readily bent in a transverse direction.

'lhe top of the crate 1 is rolled over between the cuts 9 to storm ribs 22, and the open top of the crate isclosed by the cover 4. This cover is provided with longitudinal ribs or corrugations 23, and its edges are stamped so as to form grooves or concave ribs 241 into which the round ribs 22 snugly t. The top can be tasteyned in place by anyV convenient means. f

From the above description it will be seen that l have produced a crate oi light, strong and cheap construction. The blank from which the ends and sides are made can be stamped out of a single sheett metal, and while l have shown this blank in the form of a plate 1 in Fig. 6 with only the recesses 6, cuts 9 and cuts 13, itis obvious that l may also stamp the ribs 18 in the plate by the use of a properly designed die in the same operation that forms the plate as Fig. A6 illustrates the same. The lid or cover 4 and bottom 5 are of course stamped separate, and when the plate 1 is bent' so that when the ends and sides take the position shown in Fig. 3, the cover 4 and bottom 5 can be laid on top of the sides and ends titl and make up a very compact bundle for` shipment. In fact, the crate blank and its top and bottom occupy veryl little lspace when not assembled and is of very little weight; it is easy to set up for use; does not splinter from rough handling when in transportation; is very easy to move about,land is cooler and drier for shipping or storage because the metal parts of the crate do not absorb moisture.

Of course the crate will be painted a suitable color, and any marks desired may be added to the exterior oit the same.

lin the modification shown in Fig. 8', the crate, which also is produced from a single sheet, is formed with vertical openings 17, the material at the vertical edges of the openings being turned to produce vertical intense outward. rll`lie rst described construction, with its horizontal ribs, is preferable. The

top edges 22B oit the sides 39' and ends 2, in the'itorni shown in Fig. 8, are turned over as in the "-otheritorm, as well as the corresponding bottoni edges 19"', 20%. 'llo join the meeting. edges of the plate from which the `crate is formed, li may produce projecting ings' 1G"D `on one end portion 2a to overlap the adiacent'sides 3, the connection being corpleted bv rivets 10b.'

aving thus described my invention, l claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent: i

1. A' sheet metal crate comprising sides and ends, the ends having shoulders adjacent the corners` of the crate to form projecting `lower edges, said edges above the lower edges of the sides and bei-ng rolled over to 'form internal ribs, and a bottom extending trom one end to the other oit thelcrate supported by saidl ribs, the lower edges of the sides being rolled over to :torni rests below the ends and bottom.

2. A crate comprising sides and ends made of a single plate of metal, said plate having cuts extending transversely into the same from one edge,l and recesses extendin into the same from the opposite edge, sai cuts andv said recesses marking the lines along which the plate is to be bent to torni the corners of the crate, the end-forming portions being ot less width than the side-form ing portions and havin their lower edges above the lower edgesv o the sides, the said edges being rolled over, the recesses being located so as to lie within the outlines of the enddorming portions, and the plate having longitudinal cuts in the end-forming p ortions and side-forming ortions with transverse cuts at the ends ot the said longitudinal cuts, and means carried by the plate to secure -the ends of the same together after the same has been bent.

3. Acrate' comprising sides and ends made 'oit a single plate of metal, said plate having cuts extending transversely into the same from one edge, land recesses extending into the same from the opposite edge, the outer side walls of the recesses 'being straight with the cuts at the opposite edge and defining theperpendicular side edges of the lower portions of the sides of the crate, said cuts and said recesses marking the lines along winch the plate is to be bent to form the corners of the crate, the end-forming portions. being of less width than the sideforming portlons and havin their lower edges above the loweredges o thesides, the said edges being rolled over, the recesses b emg located so as to lie within the outlines of@ the end-forming portions, and the plate having 'longitudinal cuts in the endforming portions and side-forming portions ,r with transverse cuts at the ends of the said longitudinal cuts, and means carried bythe plate to secure the ends of the same together after the same has been bent.

4. The herein described sheet metal blank for formin crate bodies, said blank having transverse ending lines defined thereon between end panels and side panels transverse cuts in `one longitudinal edge of the blank in line with the said transverse bending lines, and recesses in the opposite longitudinal edge of the blank at the sides of the end 

